New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday
granted two weeks time to the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir
government to respond on a petition challenging the ban on
pre-paid mobile phone services in the state.

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and
Justices J M Panchal and B S Chauhan posted the matter for
further hearing on January 8.

The apex court had on November 16 issued notices to
the ministries of Home and Telecom and the state government
asking them to respond within two weeks about security
concerns and economical issues raised in the PIL, filed by the
Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party.

The PIL had challenged imposition of the ban on
pre-paid mobile services in the border state.

Advocate Bhim Singh, who is the Chairman of the party,
had contended that the government`s order to ban pre-paid cell
phone services in the state from November 1 was "authoritarian
and arbitrary".

The government has ordered that no fresh pre-paid
mobile connections be issued in Jammu and Kashmir and existing
pre-paid SIM cards should not be renewed in the state after
November 1 due to reasons of security.

According to the PIL, the ban has resulted into 20,000
youths losing their jobs.